


Teumessia

by Author_of_Kheios



Series: Myths and Magic [1]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Established Relationship, Fantasy AU, Gen, Heavy Angst, Hunter Jesse McCree, M/M, Magic, Spirit Genji, Spirit Hanzo, Spirits, Witch Angela "Mercy" Ziegler
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-13
Updated: 2020-11-13
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:06:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27548797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Author_of_Kheios/pseuds/Author_of_Kheios
Summary: Jesse is a spirit hunter, but he has his limits, and when he's forced past them, things go terribly wrong.
Relationships: Jesse McCree/Hanzo Shimada, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Series: Myths and Magic [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2021474
Comments: 12
Kudos: 56





	Teumessia

**Author's Note:**

> sooo.... i have an enormous buffer with Abyss, and i really didn't want to get too much farther ahead, and i had this idea for a story, so i figured i'd write it on the side, but it turned out to be a bigger opportunity than i expected, so now i'm here, with a finished story that has a wide open ending, and i've got plans for a possible second part...
> 
> anyhoo! take this angsty feelsy drama with a little sprinkling of MCD. in spite of the warning, there is actually a fairly happy ending, so pls don't be put off by it.
> 
> now go on, enjoy the story, and don't forget to comment your tears, kudos your adoration, and if you want to be notified of the potentially equally traumatic second part, consider subscribing to me! XD

In mythology, Laelaps was a hunting dog destined always to catch its prey, and the Teumessian Fox was a creature destined never to be caught. When Laelaps was set upon the Fox's trail, the resultant paradox threatened to tear apart the universe, so both were turned to stone and placed in eternity amongst the stars.

•×•

The uncatchable fox spirit. Jesse knows of it, of course; everyone does. A ten metre tall beast with four enormous tails, each made of a different element. It's said that a single glance from the creature's three eyes strikes paralysing fear into even the bravest and most foolhardy of souls, and as yet, none who have dared to meet its gaze have survived to tell the tale. The spirit is known to be fickle and temper-driven, leaving disaster in its wake when disturbed, and Jesse isn't surprised that he's been called to deal with it. But many others have tried and failed, and many of them were better than him.

"Why me?" he asks, gaze fixed on the poster in his hands that depicts a creature of nightmares and terror.

"You have an impeccable record, hunter," the nobleman states calmly. "Perhaps you are not aware of this, but you have earned the title Laelaps in several circles."

"Oh, I'm a huntin' dog alright," Jesse scoffs, setting the poster down and looking up at the man who wants to hire him. "But I ain't Laelaps. My record ain't as clean as you seem to think it is; you got yerself the wrong fool."

"Mr. McCree, there are many things on which I pride myself," Lord Siebren says simply, giving him a bland stare. "My judgment of character is one of them; do not insult me with self-demeaning prattle that has no foundation. You will accept this task and find Teumessia. And when you do, you will bring it to me, dead or alive."

"That's a bold assumption from someone ain't got any control over me," Jesse scowls. Lord Siebren's answering smile is bone-chillingly cold and ruthless.

"It seems you require motivation. Allow me to elucidate your situation, hunter. You _will_ hunt down Teumessia, or I will see your little cottage and land burned. It would be a shame if your handsome young husband were caught in the blaze."

It isn't even subtle, the vicious threat, and Jesse struggles not to show fear for his beloved or rage that this bastard would dare to threaten him. For several long moments, he stays quiet while he reins himself in before daring to speak.

"Fine. I'll do it. On one condition." Lord Siebren cocks an impatient brow. "I do this my way; no interference."

"That is acceptable," the lord smiles coolly. "I knew you would see it my way. Now off with you; I expect results imminently."

The whole ride home, Jesse debates the sanity of his decision to cooperate. Lord Siebren de Kuiper isn't even his ruling lord; he controls the northernmost states of the kingdom, and Jesse's home lies nestled in the deep forests of a state far southwest. Teumessia has been rampaging recently through the northeastern states, all across the border between Lord Siebren's land and Lady Katya's; Jesse is the farthest he can be from the trouble, and yet apparently he's the one they want to solve their problems.

As he makes camp that night, he wonders if Lady Katya is in agreement with Lord Seibren. He won't dare ask; to approach one lord or lady on the decisions of another is considered treasonous. But that doesn't mean he can't wonder.

The weather when he arrives home the next day matches his mood; foul and ready to let loose at any moment. He stables Ashe and gives her a thorough cleaning while she feeds, and the repetitive motions help ease his temper so he isn't on the verge of snapping when he finally approaches the quaint little house he built with his own two hands.

Through the window of the main room, he can see the telltale flicker of firelight as he approaches, and for a split second, he worries that Lord Seibren made good on his threat. Then he shakes his head, reminding himself that his husband loves to sit by the fireplace on chill, gloomy days like today.

"Welcome home, my love," a deep, warm voice greets when he steps inside and removes his hat, boots, and cloak.

"Hey, darlin'," Jesse manages with a weak smile as he crosses to the couch in front of the fireplace and leans down to kiss his husband's forehead.

Hanzo Shimada is the light of his life, and not a day goes by that Jesse doesn't thank his lucky stars that the beautiful shaman said yes almost ten years ago.

"You are troubled," Hanzo frowns, reaching up to caress Jesse's cheek lightly. "I made rabbit stew, and there is bread on the counter. Eat, and then come sit with me."

Jesse obeys, more than happy to cater to his lover's orders no matter what they are. After his stomach is properly full and he's wrapped around his husband with a blanket around them both, he sighs and rests his chin on Hanzo's shoulder.

"I gotta go on a trip," he says quietly before Hanzo prompts him. "I've been... hired... to hunt Teumessia."

"The fox spirit?" Hanzo grimaces. "Surely they could have gotten another hunter-"

"They have," Jesse mutters. "Lots of 'em. They all failed."

"...They don't know, do they?"

"That I don't actually kill spirits, I just capture 'em and relocate them to the spirit world? No." Jesse rolls his eyes, burrowing into Hanzo's back. "Can't let it get out, or I'll be strung up for witchcraft or some shit; consortin' with spirits, whatever they can think up."

Silence falls for a while, broken only by the snap and crack of the wood burning.

"You have never been so quiet before a hunt," Hanzo notes softly, gently stroking Jesse's wrists. There's a sad note in his tone that says he knows why. "...They want you to bring proof of its death this time, don't they?"

"They want it whole," Jesse agrees quietly. "Dead or alive. You've seen what people like that do to spirits... I can't- Even if I somehow catch Teumessia, I can't let it suffer at their hands. But..."

Hanzo knows full well that Jesse hates taking lives, especially those of innocent spirits. They've spent years secreting spirits back to the spirit world together; it was how they met in the first place. He turns in Jesse's arms to face him, and Jesse lets himself get lost in beautiful bronze eyes that always seem to glow from within.

"Can you not turn down the hunt?" It's not really a question; Jesse can hear the grim knowledge in his lover's voice, the understanding that if it were possible to say no, Jesse would already have done so.

"...They threatened you, Han," Jesse manages, voice cracking. "I couldn't risk it."

Hanzo goes still, jaw clenching, gaze sharp and burning with anger. Then he closes his eyes, taking a breath to calm himself, and the anger shifts into determination. He wraps his arms around Jesse's shoulders and holds him; Jesse draws strength from his tight embrace.

"Make love to me, Jesse," Hanzo whispers in his ear. "Once more... before you leave."

"You sure, darlin'?" Jesse asks, all too aware that his husband isn't nearly as fond of physical intimacy as he is.

"I'm sure." Hanzo kisses him, and all protests dissipate in an instant as Jesse melts into his lover, dragging him closer to _feel_ him.

There has always been a tender hesitance in how Jesse makes love to his husband, but this time it's edged in a strange sort of urgency from Hanzo that he's never shown before. When Jesse cums and starts to withdraw with the expectation that Hanzo won't, as usual, the shaman instead pulls him back and brings him to another peak. And a third, and a fourth, until Hanzo himself peaks, for the first time in all the years they've been together.

"Oh honey..." Jesse manages after coming down from the high, breathless and baffled, but ever adoring. "Sweetheart... What on earth was _that_?"

"...I needed you," Hanzo whispers, worn and content, and soaked with sweat that glistens on his flawless skin, almost but not quite hiding the tattoos of various spirits across his arm and chest and thigh.

"I can see that," Jesse chuckles, gently stroking hair back from his lover's face. "What's goin' on, darlin'? You don't like this like I do, and you never cum."

Hanzo doesn't answer, but the way he diverts his gaze is more telling than Jesse likes.

"Han? Talk to me, sweetheart; what do you know?"

"...This hunt... It will not end well," Hanzo says, hardly audible over the quiet crackling of the fire.

"What- Did you... Did you see something?" Jesse asks slowly, unsettled. Hanzo rarely has visions, but they have never, ever been wrong.

"I saw... death," Hanzo admits reluctantly. "Before you returned. I didn't understand..." He trails off, and Jesse sits up, staring into the dying fire that should feel warm against his skin but can't compete with the ice flooding his veins.

Hanzo's visions are never perfectly clear until viewed with the lens of hindsight, but this can only mean that Jesse is going to die on this hunt.

"Jesse?" Hanzo touches his arm lightly, and he blinks, turning his gaze to meet that of his lover.

"I'm not comin' home, am I?"

"...I don't know. There was... blood, and pain... and agony in your soul."

"But someone died. And I'm huntin' a spirit that ain't never been caught."

"You know as well as I do that my visions are never so straightforward," Hanzo reminds pointedly. "I don't know whether or not you will come home. But I know this... Whatever happens, there is hope. I saw rebirth after death. I do not know when, or how, or if it is as good as I believe, but it will happen." He looks like he has more to say, but stops himself and instead says, "I love you, Jesse. No matter what. Remember that."

"I love you too," Jesse whispers, pulling him in for a tight, loving embrace.

They're saying goodbye, they both know it, but each refuses to admit it.

Not another word passes between them that night, and they sleep entwined before the dying embers of the fireplace until sunlight peeks through the windows to wake them.

Breakfast is a quiet affair, with neither speaking except as needed. Afterwards, Hanzo helps Jesse pack for the hunt, and they load everything into Ashe's saddlebags. When Jesse goes to mount his steed, Hanzo stops him, pulling him around for one more deep, heartfelt kiss. The shaman's eyes are glassy when he steps back, arms wrapped around his middle.

"I love you, Hanzo," Jesse says, one last time. Hanzo blinks back tears and nods.

"I love you too."

Heart breaking, Jesse mounts and rides away without a backward glance, knowing that if he looks back, he'll doom them both.

The ride is only two full days, but it feels like an eternity, and every step is plagued with the knowledge that he's that much closer to the end of his life.

Teumessia has left a recent trail of destruction through a few small villages at the border, and that's where Jesse's hunt truly begins.

"Alright, Ashe," he says, patting her neck as he reins her around in the direction the spirit went. "One last hunt, like old times; just you and me."

He tracks the spirit for a week, always managing to get just close enough to hear it wreaking havoc before it bounds away, just before he arrives. At the end of the week, a pigeon spirit, broken and remoulded into a loyal servant, brings him a message from Lord Siebren.

"He wants an update," Jesse tells Ashe with a scoff. "Like I got anythang to say; ain't nothin' changed since I started. What did he think was gonna happen, I'd just somehow magically teleport to-"

A sudden thought occurs to him, and he sets the message down, standing to pace while he considers possibilities. Not of teleporting to where Teumessia is, but maybe ― just maybe ― summoning it to him.

There'd have to be some kind of trap in place around the summoner's circle, and he'd have to make sure the portal didn't open into the spirit world, or else risk sending Teumessia there, only to have it return again; banishment has been tried many times already, and the fox spirit is simply too strong for the veil to keep it there for more than a day or two.

Jesse lays out a careful plan, considering and refining over and over again until he's satisfied. Then he lays out the details in a message and requests help and opinions. Rolling up the message, he hands it to the pigeon.

"I need this sent to my husband, Hanzo Shimada, in the Deadlock Woods. Once I have a response, I can send my progress report to your master." The pigeon coos, takes the message in its beak, and leaps up, circling up above the trees and then vanishing in a blur to the southwest.

While he waits, he continues to track the fox spirit, and almost catches up to it the next morning at a massive lake, where he glimpses its tails flicking away into the maze of trees and boulders that jut up against the edge of the lake.

The pigeon is waiting for him there, perched on a stone with a message in its beak. He takes the message and leans against Ashe's side to read it.

Hanzo approves of the trap, but doesn't seem enthused, and Jesse presumes he doesn't like the idea of trapping the spirit alive and killing it himself, a sentiment he agrees with. But he can't risk Teumessia somehow surviving, not when living is worse than dying in this instance.

After sending off the pigeon with a succinct note promising that he's making progress and should have the fox soon, Jesse spends the rest of the day preparing. He continues preparing according to Hanzo's suggestions the next day. It takes him three days to finish preparations, and then he thinks he might be ready to face Teumessia.

Just in case, he decides to wait until the next morning, to take advantage of a full day of sunlight. When morning comes, he lingers over breakfast. At last, despite his reluctance, he can put it off no longer.

Once upon a time, Jesse was known for being a quick shot, with a reputation for accuracy that had many people second-guessing themselves if he even made mention of his pistol, a massive six-shooter he called Peacekeeper. That reputation faded after a time; he stopped using Peacekeeper the day he married Hanzo. As he draws it from Ashe's saddlebags, he can't help but remember Hanzo's sad smile when he pushed the gun into Jesse's hands and nodded his approval to use it once more.

"Here goes nothin', Ashe," he murmurs, patting her shoulder. "Wish me luck."

The spell to summon a spirit is simple, complicated only by the necessity of being familiar with the spirit one wishes to summon; since everyone knows Teumessia, it isn't difficult to fulfill that requirement. It is, however, time-consuming, and requires immense power of magic and will from the summoner.

Will, he has in spades; magic is a bit more of an issue, and that requires a secondary spell to channel the natural magic of the earth through him and into the summoning spell. It's a dangerous feat, and one that could kill him if he isn't careful, which is why he consulted with Hanzo first. Once assured of himself and his safety, he takes a breath and speaks the keyword to begin gathering magic.

In moments, he can feel the hot buzz of magic beneath his skin, tingling and sharp, eager for an outlet. When enough has built up, he speaks the keyword to begin the summoning, and the vicious swirl of magic inside him pours out in a wave of heat that leaves him chilled and stiff.

The summoner's circle glows, a brilliant orange that makes the rest of the world appear faded and washed out. Sparks fly as Teumessia fights the summoning, and Jesse puts forth his will, his determination to protect his husband, into bringing Teumessia to him.

A shimmering outline appears above the circle; the massive fox rears its head and shrieks in defiance, an ethereal sound that spears Jesse through and makes him falter. Sensing his moment of weakness, Teumessia snarls and pulls against the threads of magic binding it and forcing it to coalesce. Threads snap, and the backlash of magic whips against Jesse's soul, burning and tearing. He struggles not to cry out at the pain that threatens to bring him to his knees.

He cannot fail. Death or not, he will succeed. He will protect Hanzo, no matter the cost to himself.

Drawing himself up, he bellows back at Teumessia, throwing his will into the summoning, daring Teumessia to escape. Daring it to be the one to defeat him.

Teumessia barks, frustrated, and tries to snap at the threads of magic, unable to free itself as it takes form before Jesse. The last of the summoning magic succeeds, and Teumessia stills as the orange glow fades away, leaving no sign of it in the sand. It drops its head, sniffing, searching, expectant. Jesse holds his breath, fear creeping in.

Slowly, Teumessia looks up, each of its three eyes a polished bronze orb that glows from within. Jesse swallows, unable to tear his gaze away now that it's locked with the fox's. He can't breathe, but not from terror; from amazement.

This beautiful, magnificent beast is nothing like the horrendous monster on every poster around the kingdom. Its black pelt gleams, shot through with brown, red, and grey hairs that makes it perhaps the most stunning pelt Jesse has ever seen. Vivid blue lines twist and curl the length of one forepaw and one hindpaw, writhing like living things; its magic pulsing with life. Each of its enormous tails begins with fur and slowly transitions to an element; the first is twisted with vines and ends in living wood that bends like flesh; the second disperses into fog; the third swings low and heavy with clear blue water, like the lake; and the fourth smoulders, tipped with embers that burn red hot.

But above all, the beauty of its eyes holds Jesse's most reverent awe. He doesn't feel the fear that so many claimed would beset him; he stands rooted, but not in terror of the mighty creature that looms over him. In fact, to his shock, Teumessia feels... familiar.

When the fox spirit takes a step toward him, he has a sudden epiphany that the reason he dies now is not because he fights this beast to the death, but rather, because he doesn't fight at all.

Then the trap is sprung. Ropes of earth formed by magic and triggered by movement shoot from the sand and wrap around the startled fox, tying it up and yanking it down. It hits the sand with a yelp and a whine, thrashing to get free, tails whipping back and forth until they too are tied down. Jesse lets it struggle, hating more than ever his need to kill this gorgeous being, until it finally stops and looks up at him.

He takes his own step forward, raising Peacekeeper. And then another, and another, his feet carrying him forward without conscious command. He stops with the muzzle of his gun pressed to the fox's forehead, just above its third eye.

Teumessia whines softly, watching him, and he could swear there are tears in the fox's eyes.

"I'm sorry," he whispers, feeling far more worn and tired than he should. "I don't want to... but I gotta. I spent years savin' your kind, sendin' 'em back to where they belong whenever they got trapped here. But this time, it's you or my husband, and I can't lose him, understand? He's my everythang."

Teumessia lets out the most heartbreaking wail, and tears really do fall from its beautiful eyes as Jesse cocks back the hammer. He blinks back tears of his own and lays his other hand on the fox's muzzle, the fur beneath his palm so soft that it feels like touching a cloud. It reminds him so much of Hanzo's hair that for an instant, he sees his lover within the fox spirit.

_"You have come this far, hunter,"_ a deep, Elysian voice speaks, each word enveloping him like a palpable embrace. _"Do not falter now."_

"Teumessia?" he breathes, hardly daring to believe.

_"Your tongue was not so hard to learn, for me. My fascination for you and your kind has led to a great many things, and now it will be my downfall. Do not waver in your love, hunter."_

"I- I can't... There's gotta be a way..."

_"I foresaw this long ago, hunter; there is no other way. Death is coming. Let it be mine."_

That's it then. To save Hanzo, Jesse will kill this poor, innocent creature.

"Just... One question," he speaks past the lump of sorrow in his throat.

_"Ask."_

"You've never let yourself be caught so easily. What happened?"

For a long while, Teumessia doesn't answer, silent tears still streaking its fur. Then it closes its eyes, and the vivid blue around its legs swirls outward, circling around Jesse and caressing every inch of him with a touch so painfully familiar that he can't breathe.

_"I always come when you call, Jesse."_

The blue at his hand tightens, pulling the trigger even as horror and realisation flood through him.

"NO!"

Silver blood, the blood of spirits, bursts through the air in a fine mist, and the blowback coats Jesse's face and chest as he stares, disbelieving.

A single, final tear escapes the now lifeless gaze of Hanzo Shimada in his true form, the fox spirit Teumessia.

Jesse staggers back, struggling to breathe, choking on tears, refusing to accept it.

"Han? Hanzo, darlin', please... Please don't let this be real..."

Silence meets his plea, and he looks down at the gun in his hand, a fine silver sheen coating both. Disgust and hatred burn in his chest, and he throws it aside, crying out. He stumbles over and collapses beside the still muzzle of his lover, reaching a shaking hand to touch him and smearing silver through black fur.

"Hanzo...?"

_"What have you done?"_

Terrified, Jesse whirls, reactively putting up his arms like he can protect the massive form of the fox. Ashe is gone, he realises (no doubt frightened away by the fox spirit and the gunshot), and not far away stands another fox spirit. Like Teumessia ― like Hanzo ― its fur is black, and each of its four tails fades into an element, but where Hanzo's markings and magic were blue, this one's are brilliantly verdant, and rather than bronze eyes, this one has crystalline amber orbs that sparkle and glimmer in the sun.

"What...?" Jesse doesn't understand. "There's two o' you?"

_"You really did it..."_ This fox's voice is lighter than Hanzo's, but no less diaphanous, and filled with incredulity.

"I-"

_"This wasn't supposed to happen."_ The fox approaches, head bowed, ears low, and somehow Jesse stands his ground, pressing back against his lover's still warm body. _"It was me. It was always me. He never- I didn't think- This is my fault."_

"What- What d'ya mean?" Jesse asks quietly, not entirely sure this is real.

_"I was the one who caused all the destruction. I- I wanted to play, to make friends. He warned me... I didn't listen."_

"What?" Jesse breathes, horror returning.

_"He told me the humans were angry. He told me we were hated. I refused to believe him. Last week, he told me you were coming for me. He asked me to return to our world ― begged me. I scorned him... He-"_

"He took your place?" It's not a question, because Jesse already knows the answer.

In the early years, Hanzo talked about him all the time. His brother, a feisty, temperamental man who followed his heart, always pursuing his passions. Hanzo spoke fondly of him, perpetually exasperated, but ever loving. Jesse isn't sure when Hanzo last spoke of Genji Shimada, but he realises now that talk of him died down when Teumessia first appeared. One of the last conversations he can remember, Hanzo set his jaw and said they'd fought. That was the end of the conversation, and Jesse never asked again.

"You're Genji," he says. "You're _Teumessia_! All this time..."

_"I should have listened..."_

"He took your place," Jesse repeats, voice raw with the anguish and rage boiling up inside him. "I killed my _husband_ because of you!"

_"I didn't know- I didn't believe him..."_ Genji steps back, sitting on his hindquarters. _"I'm so sorry..."_

"Sorry?" Jesse snarls, wishing he had Peacekeeper in hand. But Genji is between it and him, and he can't leave Hanzo's side. "I killed the man I love 'cuz of what _you_ did, and all you can say is ' _sorry_ '??"

_"I would change it if I could!"_ Genji whines, lowering all the way to the ground. Jesse sees now that the fox is crying. _"I would switch places with him! But I can't. No one can change what happened. When spirits die in your world, we die forever!"_

"You think I don't know that?" Jesse snaps, still furious and aching and wanting nothing more than to hold Hanzo in his arms again. "You got any idea how many o' your kind I killed? And _you're_ the one got away!"

Genji's gut wrenching sob is all the answer he gets, and he remembers abruptly that even though he lost his beloved, Genji lost his brother. Just like that, his anger is gone, and he deflates, leaning heavily against Hanzo's head.

They sit together, sharing in silent agony, all through the afternoon. Ashe wanders back in the evening dusk, but keeps her distance. The sun sets. The stars come out. Still neither has moved, one with an endless supply of tears that never slow, the other dry and too worn to speak, but in too much pain to sleep.

As midnight approaches, a soft glow starts in Hanzo's chest. Genji sees it first and raises his head sharply. Jesse reactively tenses, readying for a fight, only to catch the glow from the corner of his eye and turn to stare.

_"...Did you... sleep with him?"_ Genji asks softly, awed. Jesse scowls, casting a dark look in his direction.

"Course I slept with him; we were married."

_"It's different for spirits,"_ Genji persists, shaking his head. _"We mate only once in our entire existence. Between spirits, it creates a lifelink, a bonding of souls; if one is dealt a killing blow, it is possible for them to survive with immediate treatment, and both will suffer until they recover. With a human, I can't say what happens; to my knowledge, no spirit has ever properly mated with a human before."_

Jesse doesn't get a chance to respond; the glow pulls away from Hanzo, forming a blue and yellow swirling cloud above him. They watch as it spins faster and tighter, coming together to a flash of bright light that blinds them both.

When Jesse can finally see again, a large blue streaked yellow stone, no larger than his own head, sits atop Hanzo's body, the faintest of glows pulsing at its centre. Genji gasps, but can't seem to form words, and Jesse stands to get a closer look. The pulse of the glow gets stronger and brighter when he steps closer, and the hesitantly curious touch of his hand meets a faintly bumpy warmth. Ever so carefully, he lifts the stone with both hands, surprised to find it weighs almost nothing, like an empty, fragile glass shell.

_"A phoenix stone,"_ Genji trills reverently.

"A what?"

_"A phoenix stone."_ Like he's supposed to know what that is. _"I've never heard of a spirit birthing one in the mortal realm."_

"You gonna explain what a 'phoenix stone' is?" The look Genji gives him can only be described as incredulous, even on a fox, but Jesse just stares back impatiently. "Well?"

_"Spirits don't die in the spirit world like we do in yours. Every spirit has a phoenix stone embedded in the centre of their soul, and when they receive a wound that would otherwise be considered fatal, they are instead reborn in a long process that requires 'birthing' the stone in a place of safety and allowing the stone to grow. When the time comes, the stone cracks, and the spirit is reborn. They are vulnerable until a new stone is formed within their soul, so oftentimes, when a spirit mates, they birth their stone early and place it in the care of their mate. Then, if they do die, their mate can take the stone away until they are reborn."_ Genji looks at Hanzo as if seeing him differently now, and Jesse looks at the stone in his hands, connecting the dots slowly and coming to the conclusion that Genji speaks. _"He mated with you so he could birth his stone when he died. He entrusted his life to you."_

"I got... a helluva lotta questions," Jesse says. "And one major concern... I'm mortal. Even if I'm around when this stone, er... cracks, I ain't survivin' long enough for him to grow up again. He even gonna remember me?"

_"I don't know..."_ Genji lays his head down again. _"As I said, no spirit has mated to a human before, and no phoenix stone has been birthed in the mortal realm. If this was the spirit world, I could take his stone to a place in the mountains of our home in Hanamura, but I don't even know if I could transfer his stone with me back through the veil. Not after it's been birthed in this realm."_

"That don't answer my question," Jesse points out bluntly.

_"I don't know,"_ Genji repeats, an edge of impatience in his tone. _"When spirits mate, their lives are bonded until death, true death. Theoretically, your life should be longer, or his would end with yours... but I can't say."_

Jesse considers, staring at the gentle pulse of the stone in his hands. He can practically feel the life inside, like Hanzo's just sleeping, recovering.

That gives him an idea.

"Genji. I have an idea... But I'm gonna need your help, and you need to hide; ain't nobody can know yer still alive or we'll both be hunted down."

Genji makes a sound somewhere between disgust and annoyance, a sound Jesse didn't even think foxes could make. Then again, Hanzo made similar sounds in his human form often in the early days of their relationship, before they married; it must be a thing spirits can do, mimicking sounds or something.

_"I don't know how my brother could stand wearing human skin, but I am capable of doing the same."_

"Then do it. And then yer gonna take this-" Jesse lifts the stone- "to a place east o' here; there's an ice witch out there who may be able to help me."

_"Enchantress Zhou? I know of her."_

"Good. Take Hanzo's stone to her and wait for me." He hesitates a moment, realising an issue. "What, uh... What's gonna happen to his body?"

_"It will eventually fade back into the magic of the earth, much like your human bodies return to the soil, but more quickly. It will no doubt be gone before the stone cracks."_

"Good, good. Take human form already."

With a grumble of annoyance, Genji stands and shakes himself. As he does, vibrant green cascades from his pelt, and it melts away, leaving a tall, slender young man standing where his front paws were. In human form, he bears many of the same features as Hanzo, but his shorter hair is tipped in green, and his features are twisted in disdain as he looks down at himself.

Jesse sighs and gently places the stone beside Hanzo's body before going to Ashe and digging in his saddlebags for his extra pair of clothes. He tosses them at Genji, who fumbles and ends up dropping them to the ground.

"Put those on," Jesse says firmly. "And get walkin'."

"How can you humans stand to be covered so much?" Genji mutters as he awkwardly holds up clothing and figures out which holes to put his body through. His human voice is as light compared to Hanzo's as in fox form, but with a deeper accent than Hanzo ever had.

Ignoring the question, Jesse begins drawing in the sand around Hanzo's body, overlaying the same place he put the summoner's circle with a new spell. While he's doing that, Genji finally succeeds in getting dressed, minus shoes because Jesse only has the one pair he's wearing.

"What are you doing?" Genji asks, crouching nearby and watching with passive curiosity.

"A sorta storage spell," Jesse answers absently. "Can wrap a piece of the veil around somethin' and make a kinda pocket realm between my world and yers. Makes transportin' big stuff easy, 'specially spirits."

"...You really have killed many of my kind, haven't you?" That gets Jesse's full attention and he looks up at Genji, who's watching him with narrowed eyes.

"I have," Jesse answers coolly. "But that ain't how I know this spell, or how to draw magic from the veil itself to power it."

"How then?" There's a bite in Genji's words, and it takes monumental effort not to snap at him.

"Ain't none o' yer business, but I stopped huntin' yer kind ages ago; started sendin' 'em back to the spirit world instead. Needed help, so I asked around till I found a shaman, and got him to help me send 'em back. We worked together for a couple years, got close, and then I asked him to marry me."

Genji's expression shifts from wary and suspicious to open amazement. Jesse can practically see his ears perking up.

"Hanzo taught you this?" the fox asks with muted excitement.

"Taught me a lotta stuff; made me the hunter I am." Reaching over, Jesse carefully picks up Hanzo's phoenix stone and holds it out. "Get goin' already; you got a long way t'go and I got a horse." When Genji stands to take it, Jesse pulls it just out of reach. "I ain't gotta tell you to take care of him."

"If I hadn't gotten him killed, I'd be offended that you think I would ever let harm come to my brother. I will guard him with my life."

After Genji leaves, Jesse finishes his spell and activates it, tenderly enshrouding Hanzo's body in the veil between worlds. When he's finished, no sign remains of what transpired here but for a few scuffs in the sand and the puddle of silver already being claimed by the earth. Jesse momentarily debates making use of the lake to clean Hanzo's blood from him, but decides against it, only cleaning his gun before jamming it back in Ashe's saddlebags; let Lord Siebren see that he took matters into his own hands to kill the legend.

"Come on, Ashe," he says as he swings up into the saddle. "Let's finish this."

The ride to Lord Siebren's castle passes in a haze, and Jesse feels a bit like he's watching himself in third person as he approaches the gate shortly after midday. He's exhausted and worn to the bone, and all he wants is for it all to be over.

"Welcome, Mr. McCree," Lord Siebren greets when he enters the same parlour where they held their last meeting. "Judging by the state of you, I can only assume your mission has been accomplished?"

"Enough with the formalities," Jesse growls, resolutely _not_ thinking of what this man has planned for Hanzo's body. "Just tell me where you want the corpse." It physically hurts him to be so dismissive, but he can't risk letting Lord Siebren see how much he cares for spirits.

"Straight to the point, I see," Lord Siebren chuckles. "I'll have my butler show you to my laboratory, and you will be paid on your way out. Congratulations on another successful hunt, Mr. McCree; you've certainly lived up to your reputation."

That hurts in a way Jesse can't describe, and he chooses to remain silent, offering a simple nod in reply before following the butler to a wide open, well lit room with a large table in the middle. He undoes the storage spell, placing Hanzo's body on the table, and it takes everything he has, every minutiae of willpower not to show any expression; to finish unwrapping the body and walk away without looking back. The only reason he succeeds is because he reminds himself over and over again that Hanzo will be reborn from the phoenix stone, and that the body is nothing more than an empty shell now. But it doesn't help the guilty feeling of taking blood money; Jesse shoves the hefty sack of coins into Ashe's saddlebags and leaves without bothering to count out his reward.

Once Lord Siebren's castle has retreated out of sight behind him, Jesse urges Ashe into a gallop and rides hard for the east. He makes the day-long trip in half, arriving at sunset, and leaves Ashe stabled in the nearest town to walk the rest of the way.

By the time he stands before the imposing fortress known as the Witch's Keep, he's ready to collapse in exhaustion and hunger. The ominous echo of his pounding at the door fades before it finally creaks open, and he's too tired to be scared of the tall, willowy figure in armour who eyes him up and down warily.

"What brings a hunter to milady's realm?" she demands.

"A request," Jesse answers, removing his hat and bowing his head respectfully. "I'd like to speak with one o' her enchantresses."

"Follow me," she says, opening the door further for him. It shuts behind him with a resounding clunk, but his attention is on the vast, elegantly decorated interior; clearly the Witch and her ladies do well for themselves.

The armoured woman leads him to a cavernous room filled with potions, cauldrons, ingredients, books, and all manner of instruments that Jesse couldn't hope to name even if he wasn't on the verge of collapsing. A slender woman in red and orange is perched on a ladder to one side, and she turns glowing orange eyes in their direction as they enter. Another woman, smaller and softer and more pleasant looking despite her pristine white and blue clothing, sits on the edge of a table, inspecting a frozen skull of some animal. At the far end of the room, the Witch herself stands over a bubbling cauldron, long blond hair pulled back in a messy bun as she frowns at whatever concoction she's brewing.

"Lady Mercy," the armoured woman speaks up, standing at attention just inside the door. The Witch looks up, surprised. "A hunter is requesting to speak with one of the enchantresses."

"Which one?" Lady Mercy laughs. "I have oh so many servants."

"If I may, milady," Jesse says, giving her a slightly awkward half bow, "I'd like to speak with Enchantress Zhou. I sent a... a friend ahead of me?"

"Is that so?" Lady Mercy hums, abandoning her cauldron to walk toward him. "And who is this friend you seem so reluctant to claim?"

"He's my husband's brother," Jesse explains. "He's... erm... He's a spirit."

"A spirit, you say?" Lady Mercy echoes, seeming intrigued as she pauses in front of him. Her sky blue gaze takes him in, head to toe, and he feels as though she's looking a lot deeper than his appearance. "How interesting... A hunter comes to my door, covered in the blood of a spirit, and yet claims to be friends with another spirit."

"Milady, no disrespect, but I ain't slept in two days, ain't ate since yesterday; I just killed my husband, and then found out he's been a spirit all this time. I'm on my last threads of sanity and I ain't got time for games."

"I see," Lady Mercy purrs, lighting up with real interest. "Fareeha, my love, see that he's fed and rested, and return the phoenix stone to him." Jesse goes cold.

"Retu- What'd you do to Genji?"

"He's quite alright," Lady Mercy assures with a catty smile. "Merely... indisposed at the moment." She waves a hand and one of the many bottles on the shelves flies across the room into her grasp. She holds it up, and Jesse catches a glimpse of an extremely irritated miniature fox spirit throwing himself at the glass and barking soundlessly for release.

"You-"

"Oh relax, hunter; it was a precaution. I can hardly allow a spirit free rein in my keep with so much magic loose. The disasters it would cause... We're _still_ finding errant spells in nooks and crannies from the last time a spirit got loose." She casts a pointed glance at the woman on the ladder, who studiously ignores it to pick a book from the shelf.

"He's... He ain't...?"

"He's perfectly fine, I assure you. A tad upset, perhaps, but in perfect health. Spirits have no need for oxygen like you and me, and the magic required to keep him confined is more than enough to sustain his appetite for the time being. Now go on; eat, sleep, and when you are more yourself, I will return your friend, and we can talk." She flicks a flirtatious glance at the armoured woman. "Hurry back, my love; I have something to show you."

Jesse lets himself be led to a large room with a huge bed and some other furnishings that he doesn't notice. The armoured woman says something before she leaves, but he misses it entirely in his rush to get undressed enough to be comfortable crawling into the bed. The minute his head hits the cloud of a pillow, he passes out completely.

No dreams disturb his sleep, and he wakes to the smell of coffee, with an added something he doesn't recognise. Dragging himself out of bed with a yawn, he finds a breakfast tray on a table nearby, Hanzo's phoenix stone beside it. There is indeed coffee, and a tentative sip reveals some kind of added spice that provides a little extra kick. Whatever it is, he decides he likes it, and finishes the coffee along with the rest of the food.

With timing too perfect to be coincidence, yet coincidence nonetheless, the armoured woman knocks and enters as he's downing the last dregs of the coffee. She pauses, clearly not expecting to see him awake yet, and then remains in the doorway.

"Are you ready to meet with Lady Mercy?" she asks.

"Erm... gotta get dressed," Jesse says sheepishly, glancing at the boxers and t-shirt that were lucky to remain on when he slept.

"I will be right outside when you're ready." She starts to leave, and Jesse stands, raising a hand.

"Hold up, ma'am. If ya don't mind, what was in the coffee?"

"A spice from the spirit world called chu," she answers easily. "It's a bit like a mix of cayenne and cinnamon."

"Uh, one more question... Yer Enchantress Pharah, aren't ya?"

"I am."

"If yer one of them, why d'ya act like a servant or a guard or whatever?"

"Because I am. I have pledged my life to Lady Mercy and the Witch's Keep. In exchange for my long years of loyalty and service, I was granted power to continue." She pauses, a tiny smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "To fall in love with an immortal is as much a blessing as a curse. You will come to understand, one day." Then she's all business again as she steps out. "When you're ready, hunter."

After the door closes, Jesse dresses quickly, wrinkling his nose and promising himself he'll find a way to clean his clothes before everything gets settled. Thankfully Pharah doesn't seem to notice, or else ignores it, as she leads him through the halls to a wide room with glass walls and skylights.

Plant life consumes most of the space but for a neatly hewn stone table in the middle, a dozen sturdy wooden throne-like chairs spaced out around it. Mercy is seated in the largest, facing the entrance, a map of some kind on the table in front of her and the bottle containing Genji in easy reach. The other two women he saw when he arrived ― no doubt Enchantresses Zhou and Symmetra ― are seated on either side of her. The one in white and blue, Zhou, is idly sliding an ice cube back and forth between her hands on the polished surface of the table. The other, Symmetra, has a burning coin in hand, dancing between her fingers.

"Good evening, hunter," Mercy greets without looking up. "Have a seat."

Pharah pulls out one of the chairs across from Mercy enough for him to sit in it and then rounds the table to stand at Mercy's shoulder. Jesse slowly slips into the chair, gently cradling Hanzo's stone in his lap. On the other side of the table, Genji scrabbles against the glass, obviously begging to be let out.

Not knowing what to say, Jesse remains quiet, waiting for... whatever the Witch has planned. Mercy peruses the map for a moment longer, and then shifts it toward Zhou, tapping a location and consulting quietly with the pale enchantress for a moment. Zhou says something and points to another location, and Mercy nods, folding the map and holding it up vaguely toward Pharah as she finally turns her attention to Jesse.

"Forgive the wait," she smiles while Pharah takes the map and tucks it away in her armour. "Please, explain your situation."

"Well..." Jesse clears his throat, glancing at Genji, who has his paws on the glass, watching him closely. "How much did Genji tell you?"

"We prefer to hear every side of the story," Symmetra says, her voice smoky and seductive in a way that has even Jesse doing a double take, despite knowing he has no attraction to women. "Less chance of deception."

"Not that we think you'd lie," Zhou assures, a sweet, gentle counterpart to her peer. "But we have to be certain, you see?"

"Guess it starts with meetin' Hanzo, then," Jesse says, stroking a hand over the textured surface of the stone. "I realised I couldn't do it anymore, killin' spirits the way I did. I wanted to send 'em back to the spirit world, but didn't have the first clue how, so I asked 'round, found a shaman with a strong connection to the other side o' the veil, convinced him to show me a trick or two. Happened again a few weeks later, and just became a thang. At some point I fell for 'im, and eventually got up the courage t'ask for his hand. He musta developed feelin's somewhere along the way, 'cuz he said yes, and we got married. Best years of my life; our ten year anniversary was supposed to be a couple months from now."

"Supposed to be," Mercy echoes, fingers steepled in front of her. "You mentioned last night that you killed him? What would drive a man so in love to kill his husband?" Jesse flinches, tightening his hold on Hanzo's stone. It pulses under his hand, as though reassuring him, and he takes a shaky breath.

"An accident," he says quietly. "I- I had to hunt Teumessia."

" _Had_ to?" Symmetra picks up on the word choice, brow cocked sceptically as the coin stills between her fingers.

"The... _client_ -" Jesse can't help the bitter hatred in that word- "threatened to kill Hanzo, burn our home down around him. I thought- Damn me for it, but I decided tradin' the life of a spirit for his was worth it."

"So you took the job," Zhou says, sympathetic. "To protect him."

"Yeah," Jesse scoffs, struggling not to cry again. "Fat lotta good it did... Figured out a way to catch the fox, trapped it... found out Teumessia was Hanzo. Rather, it was his brother, and he took his brother's place in my trap. Genji showed up after, explained it was him the whole time, that Hanzo tried to warn him and he didn't listen, so Hanzo took matters in his own hands."

"And now, here you are," Mercy hums, expression unreadable. "In the Witch's Keep. For what? Suicide? A misguided attempt at resurrection?"

"No, I- I mean, sorta, but..." Jesse stammers, surreptitiously swiping away wetness from the corner of his eye. "I just... I just wanna be with him again. Genji said spirits can be reborn from their phoenix stones, but I ain't young no more; I might not even live to see him reborn, much less grown again. I..." He casts a sheepish glance at Zhou. "I was hoping I could get put to sleep until... until he's back."

Mercy considers for a moment, and then tips her head back, gazing up at Pharah.

"What do you think, my love?"

"I have seen his soul," Pharah states. "He is a good man. Scarred, and broken, but good. Justice must be served."

"And this?" Mercy prompts. Pharah hesitates, lips pursed.

"...It is not my place to say, but... were it my decision, I would give him this." Mercy hums acknowledgement, reaching for the enchantress' hand and drawing it to her lips.

Jesse holds his breath, hardly daring to hope, and after a long, drawn out silence, Mercy stands. Zhou also stands, but Symmetra remains seated, both waiting for the Witch's decision.

"Mei, I will leave the choice to you," she says, patting Zhou's shoulder lightly. "It is your service on request, after all. Satya, you may return to your duties." Without another word, she leaves, pulling Pharah with her. Symmetra stands now and departs as silently as her mistress, leaving Jesse with Zhou, and Genji still in the bottle.

"So," Zhou says softly, reaching across the table to pick up Genji. "You wish to sleep."

"I- Yeah, I guess so."

  
"You guess?" Zhou frowns, holding the bottle up to look at Genji as he presses himself against the glass far away from her and hisses. "Hunter, the sleep I offer is not a gift as it may seem; it is a conscious deprivation of senses, a coma of the body but not the mind. There are no dreams, but you are aware of everything around you, unable to interact with the world however it may interact with you. Do you understand that?"

"Will I age?" Jesse asks. Zhou looks at him, her gentle brown eyes large and round behind her glasses.

"No."

"Then I'll suffer," he says. "So long as I get time with him, I don't care what the cost is."

"You may not even wake from this sleep, hunter," Zhou warns, setting Genji down carefully. "That a phoenix stone exists in our world is a miracle in itself; it may never hatch. If you wish to sleep until it does, you must be prepared for that possibility."

"Enchantress, what I went through before this stone was birthed, that right there was hell. I'll take anything over that. Even eternity on ice." 

"Very well. We have chosen a place in the mountains to the north, in Lady Katya's land, where you and the stone will be placed in safety. Genji will be bound to protect you both until the stone cracks and you awaken." She picks up the bottle again while Jesse struggles to wrap his head around everything.

"Wait, but... If I wake up when he's reborn..."

"The aging process of spirits is something better explained by a spirit," Zhou smiles, taking the bottle in both hands and tugging loose the cork.

Genji explodes out of the bottle and to his full size beside the table, tails whipping against flora, ears flat and teeth bared.

"Easy, spirit," Zhou says calmly, setting the bottle down. Frost crawls down the bottle and along the table. "I promise you, this is not a fight you want to take; you will have plenty of opportunity to express your anger against true enemies."

"Genji?" Jesse speaks up, needing answers. "What's the aging process of spirits?" Genji makes an irritated whining sound, very carefully backing away from Zhou before he answers.

_"When spirits are reborn, the maturity at which they died is where they pick up again. Hanzo will be reborn at a similar age when he died."_

"But you said he wouldn't remember me."

_"I said I don't know,"_ Genji corrects shortly. _"Memories are fickle; sometimes we remember everything from our past lives, sometimes nothing. Usually, the more powerful a spirit, the more they remember, but that's not always the case, so I can't say if he'll remember you. I can't even say if he'll remember me."_

"How could he not know his own brother?" Jesse scowls.

_"Oh, he'll know we're brothers."_

"But you just said-"

_"Related spirits always know; it's... an aura thing... sort of. But actually remembering me, or anything that happened between us; that's different."_

Jesse sits back to process that while Genji skulks around to put Jesse between him and Zhou, who watches patiently, giving them time to sort themselves out; now that Jesse has the full picture, it's a little more complicated than he expected. He was certain when the smoke cleared and Hanzo was dead that his life was over, and he wanted nothing more than to find a way to be reunited with his husband, even if it meant dying. Then Genji showed up, and the phoenix stone, and suddenly there was a chance to get Hanzo back. But Jesse's finite life wasn't going to cut it, so he needed a way to put himself to sleep until Hanzo returned, and to do that, he would have to gain the favour of the Witch. That was easier than he thought it'd be, but then he learned about everything that could go wrong, and now he isn't sure what to think anymore.

What are the chances that everything works out perfectly and Jesse wakes up when Hanzo's reborn, and Hanzo still remembers him? Small, for sure.

The real question is, is he willing to risk it?

He looks down at the stone, tracing the swirls of blue and remembering the many hours he's spent tracing every line of every tattoo, until he could do it blindfolded. The stone pulses, and he thinks of all the nights he fell asleep listening to the smooth rhythm of a heartbeat he knows better than his own. Hanzo's smile, his laugh, his tender caresses and loving gazes... They're Jesse's everything; his only reason for living now is coming home to the man who owns him, heart and soul.

He can't _not_ risk it.

"I got one question," he says, looking up at Zhou, who tips her head curiously. "Can I get a change o' clothes first?"


End file.
